How your Interviews are Putting Candidates Off

Although the candidate is the one being interviewed it’s still important to make a good impression, as you are representing your employer brand and the role at hand. The best candidates will always have multiple offers so it’s as important to make a good impression on them if you want to make sure top talent chooses you over your competition.

With this in mind here are a few things to avoid doing in your next interview to keep the candidate engaged and interested in the role.

1. Arrive unprepared

Try to ensure that you arrive on time and avoid keeping the candidate waiting. It inevitably creates a negative first impression if they are left waiting around for you for 15 minutes or so and is not a great way to start any meeting.

Also, ensure that you have taken the time to look at their CV to prevent the candidate from having to repeat themselves. They have spent hours perfecting their CV for your review and travelled to meet you, so at the very least you should have skim read it to get a gist of the information.

2. You appear unaware of what the role entails

You are unsure of the exact reasons the company is hiring, what the role consists of and what will be expected of the candidate. You are also unable to answer in greater detail any questions the candidate has about the role and tell them you will have to get back to them about it.

The candidate will leave feeling confused and unenthusiastic, preventing them from following up when they could have been the perfect match.

3. You dominated the discussion

A great rule to follow when carrying out your next interview is 80:20. Refrain from dominating the interview with an endless monologue and let the candidate talk 80 percent of the time. Remember they are here for you to find out more about them, not the other way around. Use this time to find out as much as you can about them to determine if they are an ideal fit for the role. Ask clear and relevant questions that will help you find out any additional information that isn’t listed on their CV.

4. You rush the Interview

Most candidates spend a considerable amount of time preparing for interviews. They thoroughly research the role, what is expected of them and tailor their CV accordingly.

If they arrive at the interview only to be rushed through the process this will make them feel deflated and that all of their hard work spent preparing was wasted. Make sure in your next interview you take the time to get to know the applicant and show them you value their time.